Location-based mobile device control

• US 10,257,653 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fan, Si B., Gu, Yu, Liu, Su, Xu, Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, Brian E
• Application Number:
  US15/607,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20180343544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02 using radio waves using satellite radio beacon systems for determining position G01S19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/08 Position of single direction-finder fixed by determining direction of a plurality of spaced sources of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10356 using a plurality of antennas, e.g. configurations including means to resolve interference between the plurality of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/91 Remote control based on location and proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/47 using RFID associated with sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

A system is disclosed. The system includes a first radio frequency identifier (RFID) component, a second RFID component, a location estimator, and a controller. The first RFID component is associated with a mobile device. The second RFID component communicates with the first RFID component. The location estimator is in communication with at least one of the first RFID component and the second RFID component. The location estimator determines a location of the mobile device by analyzing a response time of a communication between the first RFID component and the second RFID component to estimate a distance between the first RFID component and the second RFID component. The controller is in communication with the mobile device to execute an operation on the mobile device in response to a determination that the location of the mobile device corresponds to a trigger location.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first radio frequency identifier (RFID) component associated with a mobile device;

a second RFID component that communicates with the first RFID component;

a location estimator in communication with at least one of the first RFID component and the second RFID component, the location estimator to determine a location of the mobile device by analyzing a response time of a communication between the first RFID component and the second RFID component to estimate a distance between the first RFID component and the second RFID component, wherein the response time of the communication between the first RFID and the second RFID is associated with a charge time of one of the first RFID component and the second RFID component; and

a controller in communication with the mobile device to execute an operation on the mobile device in response to a determination that the location of the mobile device corresponds to a trigger location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first RFID component comprises one of a RFID tag and a RFID reader and the second RFID component comprises the other of the RFID tag and the RFID reader.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the RFID tag comprises one of an inductive RFID tag, a capacitive RFID tag, a passive RFID tag, a semi-passive RFID tag, and an active RFID tag.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein analyzing the response time of the communication between first RFID component and the second RFID component comprises applying a machine learning algorithm to the response time of the communication.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the machine learning algorithm correlates the response time of the communication with a location of the second RFID component to determine the location of the mobile device based on a charge time of one of the first RFID component and the second RFID component.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a third RFID component located remote to the second RFID component and in communication with the first RFID component to provide a response time associated with the communication between the first RFID component and the third RFID component to further determine the location of the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is in communication with one of the first RFID component and the second RFID component to dynamically control a power signal in the communication between the first RFID component and the second RFID component.

8. A method comprising:

monitoring a communication between a first radio frequency identifier (RFID) component and a second RFID component, the first RFID component associated with a mobile device;

determining a response time of the communication between the first RFID component and the second RFID component;

determining a location of the first RFID component associated with the mobile device based on the response time of the communication between the first RFID component and the second RFID component, wherein the response time of the communication between the first RFID and the second RFID is associated with a charge time of one of the first RFID component and the second RFID component; and

executing an operation on the mobile device in response to a determination that the location of the mobile device corresponds to a trigger location.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second RFID component has a fixed location and the first RFID component has a dynamic location, the first RFID component remote from the second RFID component.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining a location of the first RFID component comprises communicating the first RFID component with a third RFID component remote to the first RFID component and the second RFID component and determining a response time of the communication between the first RFID component and the third RFID component to further determine the location of the first RFID component.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication between the first RFID component and the second RFID component comprises identifier information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a power level of the communication between the first RFID component and the second RFID component is dynamically adjusted based on the identifier information.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the operation executed on the mobile device is selected based on the identifier information in the communication.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the location of the first RFID component further comprises determining a travel vector of the first RFID component based on a change in location over time.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the location of the first RFID component has a margin of error of less than 30 centimeters.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the location of the first RFID component comprises determining a three-dimensional location of the first RFID component.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one parameter of the communication between the first RFID component and the second RFID component is dynamically adjusted based on the identifier information.

18. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable/executable by a processor to cause the processor to:

receive, by the processor, communication data for communication between a first radio frequency identifier (RFID) component and a second RFID component and between the first RFID component and a third RFID component, the first RFID component associated with a mobile device;

determine, by the processor, response times of the communications between the first RFID component and the second RFID component and between the first RFID component and the third RFID component based on the communication data, wherein the response times are associated with a charge time of a corresponding RFID component;

determine, by the processor, a location of the first RFID component associate with the mobile device based on the response time and known locations of the second RFID component and the third RFID component; and

execute, by the processor, an operation affecting the mobile device in response to a determination that the mobile device corresponds to a trigger location.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the operation comprises at least one of a restriction operation reducing a functionality of the mobile device and a permission operation increasing a functionality of the mobile device.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the program instructions further cause the processor to provide a user interface associated with the mobile device, the user interface to receive a setting selection input to modify execution of the operation affecting the mobile device.